The new law creates an environmental self-audit program that provides strong incentives for companies to promptly self-report, correct and prevent violations, including reducing or eliminating penalties and prosecution for environmental violations. Similar to the federal self-audit program, regulated companies would create a systematic, documented, periodic and objective review of operations and practices.

Violations would need to be reported within 21 days and corrected within 60. A company that is quick to resolve its violation faces no fines or prosecution. It’s a carrot, not a stick.

We boosted the power of the business assistance office within the Department of Economic and Community Development. Businesses can expect a real person, not just a hot line number, to get help with their problems. With more resources, the business assistance office will be able to better guide businesses to get the job done.

The office will be charged with resolving problems encountered by business owners with other state agencies. It will be a central clearing house of information for business assistance programs and will also serve as the feedback loop between businesses, the Legislature and the governor. It would report back on what’s working and what’s not.

LD 1 streamlined permitting and made the Board of Environmental Protection more efficient, without sacrificing citizen input or creating a more costly appeals system.

We eliminated unnecessary duplications of state permitting for fire codes and restaurant health inspections if municipalities already have licensed agents to perform those duties and we redefined reuse rules for certain hazardous materials. We also authorized regulatory agencies to conduct more cost-benefit analyses when warranted.

The new statute is not broad and sweeping. Rather, it is a set of incremental, common sense ideas that Maine businesses asked for.